Happy Friday all,

Got a story coming for you later today. In the meantime, here’s the newsletter:

• Will the Supreme Court hear a legalization case?

Read up,

Alex

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A federal court court rejected an appeal in the high-profile industry suit challenging federal prohibition.
Law360

But with superlawyer David Boies representing MSO-backed Massachusetts-based plaintiff Canna Provisions, the case has always been about whether the U.S. Supreme Court will hear it, lawyer turned consultant Marc Hauser writes:
Cannabis Musings

The plaintiff is “arguing that the prevailing precedent in Gonzales v. Raich no longer really applies to intrastate cannabis commerce (cultivation, manufacturing, distribution, etc.) like it did back in 2005 when that case was decided.”

Hauser thinks it’s a tough case to win

Federal:

• Lawyer Matt Zorn, known for suing federal agencies over cannabis and psychedelics policy, is the government’s new “psychedelics czar.”
  Psychedelic Alpha

Business:

• With the industry owing an estimated $3B in collective debt, unpaid lenders are getting more aggressive, and companies are getting more creative in their evasiveness.
  MJBiz
• MSO Ascend Wellness Holdings raised a $50M private placement.
• MSO 4Front filed for receivership.
• As measures to impose potency limits appear in several states, an industry group called VapeSafer argues “Higher THC doesn’t automatically mean higher risk.“
• Consultant Seth Yakatan sees good news in data from Hoodie Analytics.
• Fat Nugs Magazine announced a partnership with agency PufCreativ.

State and local:

• Republican-led Texas lawmakers voted to expand its MED program, after sending a hemp ban to the Governor.
  Cannabis Business Times 
• Tennessee’s Republican governor signed a bill strictly limiting hemp sales.
  Cannabis Business Times
• Stripped of his New Mexico license and fined $1M for “egregious” violations, Navajo grower Dineh Benally is expanding his operation.
  New Mexico Political Report
• Dasheeda Dawson, former head of New York City’s equity program, is now spokesperson for a new group aiming to rectify the failed promises of the state’s equity program.
• Staff at the New York state regulator are urging lawmakers to oust the agency’s leadership.
  Crain’s New York
• An Ohio House committee introduced a bill that would overhaul the state’s nine-month-old REC program.
  Columbus Dispatch
• A new Oregon law will allow companies to distribute free “trade samples” at industry events.
  Marijuana Moment
• In Pennsylvania, a Democratic state senator plans to introduce a REC bill.
• A judge upheld Alaska’s limits on hemp-derived products.
  Alaska Public Media
• The Arizona Health Department is threatening to revoke the license of a testing lab and fine another over alleged longstanding violations.
  AZCentral
• Talking Joints Memo weighs in what legislation in Rhode Island could mean for hemp-derived products everywhere.
• After years of turmoil, a Boston Globe editorial calls for a “no drama” commissioner in Massachusetts. Grant Smith-Ellis has the latest on the state’s commissioner drama.

Activism:

• Tokin’ Female, the new memoir from longtime activist Sabrina Fendrick, alleges former NORML board member Steve Dillon sexually harassed her. At least two additional women have since posted claims about Dillon on FaceBook. Asked about Fendrick, Dillon denied harassing her, “I was just too flirty and loose with my words. I apologized to the board and said I will be more careful not to offend anyone in the future.”
  CelebStoner

Health and science:

• A new study out of UCSF found a stronger correlation between cannabis use and premature heart disease. Unlike previous studies, the correlation also applied to those who only consumed edibles, though not as much.
  SFGate 

International:

• London mayor Sir Sadiq Khan backed a report calling for decriminalization.
• Australian docs are pushing back against high potency MED.

Fun and interesting:

• This is the biggest mistake customers make at dispensaries.
  GreenState
• What happened to ‘Girl Scout Cookies’ weed?
  Westword
• Roadside drug tests “threaten cannabis culture, not just impaired drivers,” Lansing (Mi.) City Pulse argues.

State:

• As the industry scrambles to avert the coming tax hike, Traditional CEO Alex Freedman argued it will hurt consumers and public safety. Vince Ning, co-CEO of distributor Nabis, made a similar case.
  Capitol Weekly, Marijuana Moment

Business:

• A new report from the UCLA Labor Center, based on feedback from more than 1,100 industry workers,  found many industry workers face hazardous conditions.
• On her podcast, veteran attorney Hilary Bricken spoke with Richard Ormond who has handled several receiverships.

Local:

• After seven years, West Hollywood is poised to award its final lounge license.
  WeHo Times
• SFGate finds a thriving Tioga Green pot shop in the once-skeptical Sierra Mountain  community of Lee Vining (Mono County).
• A man in Shasta County was sentenced to life in prison for the murders of two men in 2021 tied to the unlicensed industry.
• Authorities in Trinity County are investigating an unlicensed extraction lab explosion which caused a fire.
  Action News Now

Upcoming:

• Raw Rolling Papers is sponsoring Rolling Derby, the “first ever global cannabis joint rolling competition.” The first event will be Saturday at the Transbay Challenge VI finals in LA.